


A Night Off

by akafinndameron (elleelizabethx)



Category: Roswell (TV)
Genre: F/M, Friendship, Game Night, Gen, Monopoly (Board Game)
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2018-01-15
Updated: 2018-01-15
Packaged: 2019-03-04 23:07:55
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,589
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/13375005
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/elleelizabethx/pseuds/akafinndameron
Summary: With everything constantly going on with our Pod SquadI thought they deserved a night off to just be teenagers.@Magelette I read your request and this immediately came to mind.I hope you like it.  Happy New Year :)





	A Night Off

**Author's Note:**

  * For [magelette](https://archiveofourown.org/users/magelette/gifts).



A hurried knock on the door distracted Michael from the video game he was playing. ”Shit” he cursed as the tiny red plumber on his screen fell to his death. The knock came again. “Yeah, yeah. I’m coming.” He swung the door open and found a few levitating brown paper bags and Isabel. “Isabel. Max. Come on in.”

Isabel grimaced as she shrugged off her coat. “We really need to do something about this place Michael. It’s so dark and dingy in here. The decor is awful”

Michael just rolled his eyes and started helping Max unpack the bags they brought over. “Leave him alone, Iz. He just moved in. I’m sure it’ll get fixed up over time,” Max remarked as he finished putting the two half gallons of Ice cream in the freezer.

“What time is everyone else supposed to get here?” Michael asked as he piled the last few bags of chips on the counter.

“Alex should be here in a little bit, Liz and Maria are finishing up a shift at the Crashdown and I think Kyle and Tess are finishing setting up her room at his house.” Isabel answered as she puttered around the living room, picking up anything that she found out of place. Three quick knocks announced Alex’s arrival.

A chorus of “Come in” and “It’s open” sounded in the apartment.

Opening the door Alex popped his head in first “Hey, guys.” He disappeared for a second and pushed the door open with his foot. Isabel hurried over to him and took one of the large packs of sodas out of his hands. “Thanks Isabel” he smiled. They carried the drinks over to the counter started to tear at the cardboard boxes, pulling the cans out and putting them in the fridge.

“Hey man. Did you remem-” Michael started to ask when Alex lifted another box on to the counter.

“The Snapple? Yeah. I remembered,” Alex grinned. The four teenagers bustled around the apartment setting things up for their evening in. Over the next hour Maria, Liz, Kyle and Tess arrived. Maria and Liz bearing a few new releases from the video store while Kyle and Tess came in loaded with board games.

“Alright!” Kyle says happily, as he settled onto the floor with a bowl of chips in his lap. “What’s first? Movie? Board game? I would love to crush you guys in Monopoly. Or we could settle in for a scary movie?” He crunched down on a few potato chips.

Maria shuddered “ No thanks. I’ll pass on a horror flick, I’d like to sleep again sometime this month.”

Michael wrapped his arm around her, puffing out his chest. “Don’t worry babe, I’ll protect you.”

Maria rolled her eyes.

“That’s what I’m worried about,” she laughed.

“Okay then,” Max chimed in. “Monopoly it is. Besides, we have all night. No reason we can’t eventually do both.”

“Hold on.” Alex interjected, serious look on his face. “Are we sure we want to do this? Monopoly has been known to be a game changer.” He laughed a little maniacally. “You know, lives ruined, relationships torn apart, all over a game.”

“What’s the matter Alex,” Isabel responds. “Afraid of a little competition?”

Laughter filled the room and Alex quirked his eyebrow at Isabel.”Alrighty then. Game on.”

The set up the game fairly quickly and the argument about who would be which token ensued.

“I am clearly the race car” Kyle declared.

Michael scoffed “No way, Valenti. I am always the race car. You can be the shoe.”

Tess looked around confused “I don’t understand. Why does it matter which tiny metal piece you move around a gameboard?”

Kyle looked at her, clearly taken aback. “Tess, there is a hierarchy and as everyone knows the race car is at the top.”

Isabel was looking at them both like they were crazy. “I’ve always been partial to the top hat” she interjected “but if the two of you don’t shut up I will trade it in for that race car.” She tilted her head and smiled at them sweetly.

Kyle backed off “You can have it.” He pushed the token towards Michael.

Once the token debate was settled the first few rounds around the board went by painlessly, but that did not last long.  “Son of a -" Michael gritted through his teeth as Liz handed the money over for Park Place. “That’s cold Parker.”

“Sorry Michael, that's just the game.” She shrugged. Maria who was sitting in between them turned and gave Liz a high-five.

“Hey! Whose side are you on?” Michael exclaimed.

Maria turned toward him with a warm look. Taking his hand, she sympathized, “Oh honey, I’m sorry. I love you.” she paused. “But I’m always on Liz’s side.” Everyone laughed.

“Yeah. Yeah. I see how it is. Very funny.”  Maria kept her fingers entwined with Michael’s but bumped her should into Liz’s. The two girls shared a smile.

“Okay. Okay.” Max laughed. “My turn.” He picked up dice and shook them for a moment. He tossed them onto the board and let out a low “Yesssss" when the cubes stilled on the board.

He had rolled double sixes and happily moved his token around the board. With his roll he cheerfully passed go, collected two hundred dollars and avoided paying any rent.

“Hey.” Kyle said suspiciously. “That’s the third set of those you’ve thrown tonight and it’s only the fourth round. You’re not helping yourself along with some alien mojo on the dice?”

Max shrugged, ever the visage of innocence. “Just lucky, I guess.”

Kyle’s face said he disagreed but he decided to let it go. “Sure. Luck,” he mumbled. Tess smiled at him from where she sat on the floor.

The group traveled around the board for hours until there were only three. Michael, Kyle, and Maria. On Maria’s turn she took a moment to consider her options. At this point she was too far behind to beat Michael. But Kyle still had a fighting chance - if she sold him all of her properties. After a moment, she spoke. “Kyle. I have a proposition for you.”

He looked over at her in earnest. “Yeah?”

“I will sell you all of my properties for 1 dollar. If you promise that you will kick Michael’s ass?”

“Babe!” Michael exclaimed. “Where is the loyalty?” his feigned betrayal only caused Maria to roll her eyes.

Laying her hand on his wrist, she looked at him solemnly. “There is no loyalty, only Monopoly. It’s kill or be killed. And I -” she paused and closed the distance between them, putting her lips up to his ear and stage whispered ”-cannot let you win.”

Kyle held out the small white piece of paper.  “I accept your offer.”

Gathering up all her placards, she handed the pile over to Kyle in exchange for that small scrap of paper and on her next turn claimed bankruptcy. She scooted back from the table and into her previous place on the couch next to Liz.

Michael and Kyle played for a few more rounds but even with all the properties Maria had sold to Kyle weren’t enough to help him over the proverbial finish line.

“Victory is mine, people! Victory is mine!” Michael exclaimed when Kyle was finally forced to claim bankruptcy. “In your face Valenti.”

“I love it when he’s humble,” Maria murmured to Liz.

“What was that babe?”

“Oh nothing honey. Please, continue your gloating” she gestured to the group.

Michael just glared at her for a second. Eyebrows knitted together, mouth in a straight line, before breaking into a smile and swooping down to kiss her quickly on the lips.

“Alright. I think it’s time we move on,” Isabel began, as she shifted forward on her chair. “I think that is quite enough competition for one evening.”

“Aww, really Iz? I was hoping to crush Liz in a few rounds of Clue.” Alex complained.

“Maybe we could just watch a movie?” Tess piped in.

“Yes!” Maria agreed quickly. “Liz and I stopped at the video store on the way over. We picked up some great titles.” She stood up and went to grab the videos off the kitchen counter. Walking back to the couch she listed off the titles. “So we tried to get a little something for everyone. We have, Cruel Intentions, Galaxy Quest, and The Blair Witch Project.”

Requests for each of the movies sounded all at once. “All right, all right. Settle. We’ll take a vote. Majority rules.” The voting didn’t take long. Maria and Isabel were instantly out-voted on Cruel Intentions. Galaxy Quest and Blair witch then tied four to four.

“If you didn’t want to watch it why did you even rent it?” Michael groaned as he dragged his hands down his face.

“I didn’t think we would actually watch it! I figured we’d watch the other two and fall asleep before we got the chance,” Maria admitted.

Michael just rolled his eyes. “Alright.” he declared. “Let’s just watch Galaxy Quest. But if we are all up for another movie after this we are watching Blair Witch. Does that sound fair to everyone?”

Maria smiled wide as everyone agreed.

The group settled in to watch the movie. The couch sat empty as they piled on the floor cocooned in blankets and pillows. “Thanks Michael,” Maria murmured as she cuddled into his chest. Michael just tightened his arm around her and dropped a kiss on the crown of her head.

Within minutes they were all asleep.  

**Author's Note:**

> I just want to thank [Kael](http://whenwolfsbaneblooms.tumblr.com/) for being a truly wonderful human and saving me from obliterating the english language. I genuinely appreciate you. 
> 
> And credit to her for the line " There is no loyalty, only Monopoly." Truly amazing.


End file.
